Month by Month
by Shippingsempai
Summary: All of Kuroko Tetsuya's childhood friends come over to his house to hang out. Ace of the Diamond, Yowapeda, Haikyuu, Free!, and Kuroko no Basket crossover.
1. Everyone

Kuroko Tetsuya lazily cleans up his house in preparation for his arriving guests. All he does is straighten the bathroom and puts snacks down. He knows them pretty well so he doesn't bother going through the proper measures that a host should go through.

Childhood friends are such a hassle.

A light chime echoes through the house which alerts him that the first of his guests had arrived.

"Tetsu, thanks for having us over," Haruka Nanase thanks upon being greeted at the doorway.

"Not like I had any choice in the matter. Shouyou is very stubborn about getting his way."

"Indeed," Haruka agrees while hanging up his coat. Out of all his childhood friends, Haruka was the most similar to Kuroko personality wise so they always got along really well. Whenever they were alone, conversation was next to non-existent but they always knew what each other was thinking. "It's so cold out there." Kuroko pulls the sweater he's wearing over his small frame and nods in agreement.

"You can show yourself to the living room. I've still got to straighten up." As Haruka disappears from sight Kuroko shouts from the kitchen, "Snacks?"

"Mackerel please."

Kuroko just sighs and gets the mackerel out. He'd known ahead of time that his friend would ask for the same thing he usually does so he got it in advance.

"Wow, that apron looks really bad on you," Haruka comments stoically, walking by the kitchen.

"Hand me the strawberry athletic vitamin will you?"

"Never mind, you look fine," Haruka quickly corrects and observes the mackerel beginning to sizzle "When are the others getting here?"

"Within the next hour," Kuroko says as the light chime sounds again confirming his statement. "Speak of one of the devils. Go get it will you?" Haruka gets up wordlessly and approaches the door. Before he even gets the door fully open, Sawamura Eijun slams it open and strolls in.

"Haru! Nice to see you!" he grins and wraps an arm around his shoulders.

"Obnoxious as always Eijun."

"Don't be rude it's not becoming. Where's Ren and Tetsu?" he asks, surveying the near empty house.

Kuroko peeks his head out from the kitchen and shouts, "I'm here!"

"Come and greet me at the door," he says as he slips his jacket and snow covered shoes.

Kuroko sighs and leaves the kitchen. "It's nice to see you again. How have you been doi-"

"No stop!" he shouts, covering Kuroko's mid-sentence mouth with his near frost bitten hands "We can't talk about that stuff until everyone is here." Kuroko wrestles himself out of his over eager friend's grasp. "That goes for you too Haru."

Haruka anxiously looks around but doesn't acknowledge him, probably worrying about something.

"The mackerel isn't burning you know but I can get back in the kitchen if that's what you want," Kuroko says, guessing that's what his single-minded friend is thinking about. "Eijun, close the door, you'll let the cold in."

"Okay," he says but just as he's about to close the door, another figure barges through the half closed door but not before momentarily getting squished.

"Ren! You're here!" Eijun exclaims.

Mihashi Ren, the meekest of the group, stands caked in ice in the doorway. He was also the person who was closest to Eijun in their little group.

"Sorry I'm late Tetsu," he apologizes.

"Not at all you're just on time," he placates. "But you guys should really get out of the doorway just in case Sakamichi or Shouyou gets here."

"Right! The living room?" Mihashi asks.

"Yeah make yourself at home-" he tries to say before Eijun plops down on the floor and nestles himself under the heated table. He just shakes his head and flips the mackerel.

Shouyou, Sakamichi, Eijun, Ren, Haruka, and he had all been friends in their childhood due to their parent's close friendships despite their geographical locations. They're the only people who he calls by their first names (out of force of unbreakable habit) and they're also the few people whom he doesn't bother to use honorifics with.

They usually get together like this once a month on a Saturday. Because of all their participation in athletics clubs, it has to be meticulously organized by whoever was unlucky enough to be hosting that particular Saturday. And this time it just happened to be Kuroko.

"Tetsu?" Mihashi asks in kitchen doorway.

"Yeah Ren?"

"I'm glad we can do this!"

"Yeah it's nice," he replies, giving kind smile. The house is suddenly assaulted with a rapid fire of doorbell chimes. "That's probably Shouyou. Predictable as always."

"Take over for me? You know how he likes his fish."

"Okay!" Mihashi says strolling up to the sizzling pan and transferring ownership of Kuroko's apron. The persistent ringing grates on Kuroko's nerves so much he's sure it's Hinata and the door. He loudly stomps towards the door and swings it open.

"Tetsu!" Hinata exclaims and tackles him with a hug.

"Shouyou, you could've jut rang the doorbell once," Kuroko lightly scolds, anger dissipating into pleasant indifference. Hinata Shouyou was the person in their group he was closest to and it was strange that they had such a lasting connection since Kuroko usually avoided high-energy people.

"It was cold and I didn't want to wait for you," he grins, unhanding Kuroko "How's everyone else?"

The next instant they hear a loud crash and Eijun screaming, "No, Haru! We have to wait until everyone is together to talk about stuff, stop!"

"The same."

"Eijun!" Hinata excitedly calls.

"Shou! We're in here!" he answers before Hinata goes bounding off and disappearing from sight.

Those two were most alike personality-wise in their group. They both went along with each other's schemes and often are the butts of each other's jokes. Despite their similar natures and stupid friendship, they get into a moderate amount of fights. Their group doesn't fight often but those two butt heads frequently because of their outgoing personalities. If their visits so happen to fall on a day that they're having an argument, it usually falls upon whoever is hosting to resolve it.

They are, most assuredly, the highest maintenance in the group.

A winding of bicycle tires alert Kuroko of Onoda's upcoming presence.

"Tetsu, did Sakamichi bike all the way here?" Mihashi worriedly asks from the kitchen.

"Can you run upstairs, get one of my sweaters, and put on some tea?"

"S-sure thing!"

Onoda Sakamichi, his final childhood friend stands shivering on the other side of the front door.

"Did you seriously bike here from Chiba?" Kuroko blankly asks, ushering his cold friend inside.

"Yeah, I didn't think it would be that cold."

"Tea is boiling and Ren is getting warm clothes from upstairs," he examines Onoda's hand "Surprisingly it doesn't look like you got frost bite Sakamichi."

"Here you go." Mihashi hands him the clothes.

"Thank you, I'm going to go change."

"We have tea and we'll be in the living room."

"Thanks Tetsu."

"Try not to be so reckless," he briefly scolds. An audible thump and muffled yelling emits from the living room and he makes his way to the room to investigate. When he calmly strolls into the living room and sees Eijun and Hinata wrestling on the floor.

"It was mine first!"

"It was not!"

Several other insults were hurled at each other while Haru simply looks at them coolly. Kuroko gives them a look that's equally cool and separates them with his foot. "Cut it out idiots."

"What's going on?" Mihashi asks at the doorway with a look that says he's very disconcerted by these events. He's holding Haru's mackerel, wearing Kuroko's apron but he's focused on the two wrestling teens. "Guys, don't fight!" Out of everyone in the group, he hates it when they fight the most.

"We're not fighting!" they both say at the same time.

"Then stop acting like it and sit down," Haru interjects "You're arguing over a toy from ten years ago." He gratefully takes his mackerel but doesn't stop glaring at the two.

"It was my toy but Eijun took it."

"It wasn't even yours. You accidently took it from Ren but he was too nice to get it back. Sit down and act like the adults you aren't," Haru expertly says, diffusing the source of the argument.

They glare each other down for a moment and then stand down.

"Tetsu, was that Sakamichi at the door?" Hinata asks.

"Yeah," he responds as he sits next to him. Kuroko continues by saying, "He's changing upstairs".

"I'm here!" Onoda announces, hurriedly shuffling in the room.

"Sakamichi," Haru pleasantly says as he stands up and wraps him a hug and nuzzles his head in his hair. No one quite knows why, but ever since they were little, Haru always liked Onoda a lot and he was kind of like a comfort blanket to him.

"Haruka, nice to see you!" Onoda exclaims. Haru gives him one final tight squeeze before he moves back to his seat and makes room for him to sit next to him.

Now, with Kuroko sitting next to Hinata, Mihashi sitting next to Eijun, and Haru sitting next to Onoda, their little group is complete.

"Okay guys, you can talk now!" Eijun declares.

Silence stretches.

"Seriously guys, earlier all you wanted to do was talk and now you are all clammed up," he scolds "So no one feels like speaking up?" he looks around and no one volunteers "Okay, everybody, let's talk about our love lives! We haven't talked about it detail yet."

Everyone looks at him blankly.

"Come on guys!"

"If you want to talk about it so much, then you start," Kuroko shoots back.

"W-well okay," he hesitantly says, "It's not really all that interesting."

"We need a year and name!" Hinata demands.

Sawamura slightly cringes and blushes, "His name is Miyuki Kazuya and he's a second year. He's a catcher."

"Ooh, I second year! Only the best for you!" Hinata teases.

"Hardly. He's so infuriating," he says bitterly.

"E-Eijun?" Mihashi stammers "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, he's just emotionally distant and it's hard."

"How so?"

"Whenever I try to talk to him about serious stuff he just makes jokes and avoids the question."

"I'm sure he just needs to open up."

"Yeah. S-so what about you, Ren? Last I heard you were dating a clean-up hitter on your team. You still together?"

Mihashi visibly perks up at the subject of his boyfriend. "Yeah! He's a really talented athlete and a amazing baseball player and an amazing person and he's so nice!" he passionately brags.

"Sounds like you two really get along," Onoda gives a big smile.

He nods vigorously and says, "I love him a lot!"

"Is he cute?" Hinata bravely asks.

"Yeah, he has these freckles and his hair and I love everything about him!" Everyone can't contain their happiness at seeing Mihashi lovingly gush about his boyfriend; even Kuroko and Haru are smiling at the end of Mihashi's tangent.

"S-sorry, I should give someone else a turn. How about you, Shouyou?"

"Nothing to report!"

"Weren't you talking to me about a first year setter on your team and how perfect he was just last week? Kageyama was it?" Kuroko asks.

Hinata blushes. _Bullseye_,everyone thinks.

"He's an idiot," he pouts "He doesn't even notice me."

"That's not true!" Onoda objects "Have you tried telling him of your feelings?"

"N-no! I'd hate to tell him first! It's embarrassing. He's my rival, I'm not supposed to be in l-l-l-l-love with him," he stutters out. His intense blush gets more furious at the gazes of his friends and he finally shouts, "I don't like this! I want to take a nap. I got up early and traveled all the way down here."

"Tetsu? Since I biked all the way out here can I have pasta when we wake up?" Onoda questions

"Mackerel for me," Haru adds.

"Ooh, I want a burger!" Eijun demands.

"Miso soup for me?" Mihashi asks.

Overwhelmed by all these requests he rushes out an answer. "Yeah, I can cook all of that and take a nap."

"It'll be like when we were kids!"

"I'll go get blankets," Kuroko announces. As he makes his way to the closet upstairs, a smile persistently tugs at his face. This was ridiculous, talking about their crushes and taking naps on the floor. But it is a nice change of pace he admits. Being around people that you're this comfortable with always gives a certain peace of mind.

Kuroko still doesn't understand their communal bond. How is it that each of them so close to each and every person in the group? Eijun and Sakamichi's bond was no less strong than Eijun and Mihashi's or Kuroko and Hinata's. What holds them together so tightly? Was it their love for their respective sports? Was it their childhood friendship? What makes it so their group is so comfortable and close that no words are needed and they can keep up their friendship just by sleeping on the floor?

When Kuroko steps back into the living room, his friends are laid haphazardly across the floor. He glances at the clock that reads "12:23".

"It's only noon and you guys are already napping."

Hinata stirs from his light slumber and pats the space next to him for the spot that is apparently Kuroko's and closes his eyes again. Before he crawled to his spot, he carefully drapes blankets over his friends and gently raises their heads to dispense a pillow under it.

Finally, he lies down in the spot that was made for him, almost like it was always set in stone.

* * *

"Tetttsssuuu thanks for having us over and making us food," Hinata yawns as he goes out the door "Mihashi, we can take the same train."

"Yeah!"

"We can get pocky sticks on the way! My treat!"

"Eijun, let's get moving," Haru announces.

"Right! Sorry Haru, let me get my shoes on."

"Sakamichi, make sure to put a lot of layers on," Kuroko lectures as he puts a jacket over his frame.

"Thanks! I'll give them back when we next see each other and I'll make sure to wash it."

"No need. I'm used to you ruining my clothes," Kuroko says as Onoda walks out the door. "See you later!"

"Tetsu!" Eijun scolds as he jumps conversations "Don't say that! You have no tact!"

"You have less tact than me."

"I came to your house to have a good time but I'm honestly feeling attacked right now," he mutters going out the door with Haru in tow.

"Ren is organizing it next time," Kuroko reminds everyone. He puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "Good luck."

Mihashi looks slightly disconcerted when he learns this and slowly nods.

"I'll text you later Tetsu 'kay?" Hinata promises.

Kuroko gives a medium sized, genuine smile as his last friends go out the door and says, "See you next month!"


	2. Kuroko and Hinata

"Kagami, make sure to be polite. Shouyou is my childhood friend," Kuroko scolds his partner and boyfriend in advance for whatever embarrassing thing he was going to do in the future.

"I'd never-" Kuroko quirks an eyebrow at the beginning of his statement which causes Kagami to revise it by saying, "That was one time!"

"Let's just get in and out."

Kuroko is stopping by Karasuno, his friend Hinata's highschool, to drop off his notes that he left behind when he was visiting his house. His boyfriend came because they were going out on a date after they drop off the papers.

The high school isn't busy per se, but it's not exactly empty. As expected on a Friday afternoon. They had to ask for directions multiple times (or rather Kagami had to due to Kuroko's lack of conviction and presence) and they were heading toward the gym now.

The school's yard is stained with snow and patches of ice litter the path to the gym. Kagami slips multiple times and Kuroko is the only reason the ace of their basketball team isn't in an undignified heap.

"This school is like a death trap," he mutters as he wipes his hands on his jeans.

"According to the teacher, the gym is right here," he points to the grey building where squeaking of volleyball shoes emit from the slightly ajar door.

"It seems like they're busy, maybe we should wait for them to be-"

Kagami swings the door wide open and yells, "Pardon the intrusion!"

All activity ceases and the entire room's attention shifts to the ineloquent basketball nut as Kuroko rubs the bridge of his nose in embarrassment.

A short boy in a bright orange uniform runs up to him and says, "You're so tall! How big are you like 7 feet tall?!"

"N-no, I'm only 6'3'."

"Only?! That's huge!"

He edges away from the energetic person and his eyes scan the room of volleyball players until it pinpoints a tuff of orange hair. He points at the short, first-year that he's seen in pictures in Kuroko's house. "You!"

Like a deer in a car's headlights, Hinata freezes. A boy with raven black hair steps in front of him. He growls out, "What do you want?"

The boy glares and Kagami, to the untrained eye, Kagami looks like he's glaring back. Due to his boyfriend's serious face, Kagami tends to accidently get himself into arguments.

A couple of beats pass. Kuroko sighs and moves in between the idiots to try and diffuse the situation. The second Hinata sees him, his face lights up.

"Tetsu!" he giddily exclaims as he launches himself from behind his friend and envelopes his Kuroko in a hug. "You were behind that big guy so I couldn't see you!"

All of Hinata's teammates, even their coach, look at him speechlessly until someone finally sputtered out, "How long has he been there?"

Kuroko sighs and prepares to give his usual answer but Hinata interrupts him and says, "He's been here the entire time!"

"Oh, so you're here to drop off notes!" the captain, Daichi, says "No, offense but we thought that you meant to start a fight."

"I get that a lot," Kagami responds tiredly.

"Tetsutetsutetsu! Let me introduce you to everyone!" Hinata declares, guiding him throughout the gym by his arm.

"Meet Sugawara Kouichi!"

A teen with grey hair and a kind look warmly smiles at him. "You're Kuroko Tetsuya correct?"

"Your assumption is correct."

"Now here is Tanaka Ryunosuke and Nishinoya Yuu, they're second years!"

"Yo~" Nishinoya greets while Tanaka contorts his face in what's seems to be an attempt as an intimidating expression.

"Nice to-"

"Then there's Tsukishima," he points to a guy with blond hair "He's a jerk so you don't have to remember his name."

"What did you say, shrimp?" Tsukishima yells from across the gym.

He hurriedly continues and says, "And that's Yamaguchi, Asahi, and Kiyoko," he says as he rapidly points to the remaining students that are there. "And that's Mr. Takeda and Coach Ukai!"

"Tetsu was it?" Ukai asks.

"My name Kuroko Tetsuya, my friend here is Kagami Taiga. Nice to meet you," he says as he slowly bows.

"So polite!" Takeda coos and Ukai gives him a look that says 'I love you which is why I put up you're your silliness'.

"And you're Hinata's childhood friend?" Suga asks.

"That's right."

"Do you play volleyball too?" Daichi questions.

"No, I play basketball."

"But aren't basketball players supposed to be tall?" Nishinoya curiously asks to which Asahi mutters to him, "Be nice!"

"Are you any good?"

"No, not at all," he answers without pausing for a second.

His response makes the entire room very tense.

"Stop doing that to people," Kagami scolds "He's actually prodigy."

"A prodigy!?" everyone gasps. Kuroko gets inwardly flustered because he is hardly ever the center of attention.

"Stop exaggerating," he scolds Kagami back.

"So you can shoot baskets from really far away or like dunk?" Tanaka says.

"No I can't."

"Then what do you do?" he says confrontationally.

"Tetsu isn't like a normal prodigy!" Hinata interjects "He's super good at making passes and stuff. He was a part of the Generation of Miracles! He uses his low presence to steal balls from people like, nyoom and zoom!" Hinata continues to make crazy hand gestures and sound effects until Tsukishima interrupts him with a dry, curt chuckle.

He challenges Kuroko's status as a part of the Generation of Miracles and says, "I've heard of the famous Generation of Miracles. I've even gone to some of Teiko's games but I've never seen you."

Everyone (beside Kuroko) looked like they wanted to yell at him but then the boy who protected Hinata earlier pipes up. "Tsukishima, you idiotic walking garbage can. If he truly excels at passing, then being seen isn't the goal."

"Oh, an elite defending an elite? Your types stick together," he wryly quips back.

"I'm really not an elite," Kuroko interrupts "The fact that I even got to be in first string is the real miracle. In most areas, I'm worse than an average basketball player. Please don't go insinuating anything Mr. Tsukishima." The entire team gapes. From dealing with his childhood friends, his teammates, his partner, and the Generation of Miracles, Kuroko is pretty used to dealing with haughty, eccentric people.

"And who are you, Mr. 6'3?" Tanaka changes the subject.

"I am the ace of our team, a transfer student from America, challenger of the Generation of Miracles and," he puts his arm around Kuroko's shoulders "this guy's partner in basketball and boyfriend."

He says all of these accomplishments proudly but none as proudly as the last one. Hinata decides right then that he likes Kagami a lot. Kuroko's smile makes Hinata's heart swell because of its genuine nature However, makes him a little bit sad as he gives a sidelong look to Kageyama, wishing for something more.

Kuroko's eyes slightly soften into a look of concern. "Shouyou?"

"Hey, Taiga!" Nishinoya interrupts.

"T-Taiga?"

"Teach me basketball!"

"You're so short I don't know if you can," he says bluntly though it seems like it wasn't his intent to be mean "and that would interrupt practice right?"

"No, let's all play basketball together!" Daichi says sarcastically with a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Seriously?! Cool!" he scampers off with Kagami, Tanaka, and Hinata in tow toward the basketballs.

Daichi's sighs and says, "Does no one get sarcasm anymore?"

Suga gives a warm smile and pecks him on the cheek. "Silly."

"So are you Kageyama, the genius setter I've heard so much about?" Kuroko asks.

"Yes, Kageyama Tobio, nice to meet you Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Do you want to take a walk? I'd love to talk to someone so talented."

The edges of Kageyama's cheeks turn a light, embarrassed red at being complimented. This leads Kuroko to think that he's not as cool as previously thought.

"S-sure."

The sun has begun it's descent into oblivion but won't be out of sight for another two hours or so. The reason Kuroko called Kageyama out here, even though it's so cliché, is to see if he deserves to be the object of Hinata's affection.

"So, Kageyama?"

''Y-yes?" he jumps.

"Shouyou is one of my best friends. We've been together since our childhoods. We knew about his troubles with his volleyball team but we couldn't do much about it. None of us lived by each other and most of our communication back then was through text messages. In middle school, he was all alone."

"Kuroko, no offense but what's the point in telling me this?"

"Well, partly what I'm saying is that middle school was hard for him but now I'm glad he's got you and Karasuno. Thank you."

"What's your other reason for saying it?"

"What is the nature of your feelings towards him?"

"He's a great setter and a great teammate and without him I wouldn't be as good of a person as I am today. I'm glad that I have a friend-"

"Stop," he sighs "Obviously subtlety is lost on you. Let me be frank. Do you hold any romantic feelings for him?"

From the base of his neck to the tips of his ears, Kageyama turns red in a second. "W-whywouldyouaskthatofcourseIdon'tthatwouldbeabsurd."

"I'll take that as a yes then," Kuroko concludes coolly.

"I don't!"

"Lying is unbecoming."

"I'm not lying," he heavily sighs "even if I was lying and I do like him, what's the point? He doesn't like me anyway."

Kuroko pauses.

"Stupidity is unbecoming," Kuroko chastises.

"Don't call me stupid!"

"But you are. Stupidity aside, why do you think he doesn't like you?"

Kageyama seems rather taken aback by this and has to take a second to consider it. "Well, he doesn't do anything that would give me a reason to suspect that he liked me."

"Don't you do the same thing?"

"H-huh?"

"I haven't known you for very long but it seems like you don't often show your real emotions."

"You're saying Hinata maybe is hiding his feelings too?"

"Anything is possible."

Kageyama takes a moment of thought before responding by saying, "Did Hinata say anything about me?"

Kuroko gives him a long look and sighs. "You two are like the main characters of a bad shoujo manga. Just ask him out already."

"So he did?"

"Kageyama, why do you care so much? If I remember correctly, you were the one who said you didn't have feelings for him."

"Hinata? Stop spacing out!" Kagami barks.

"Sorry," he says, still focused on the door which Kuroko and Kageyama walked out of earlier.

"You need to stop worrying. Everything will work out," he says, passively staring at Tanaka lifting Nishinoy up to the hoop so he can dunk.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said."

"I'm not worrying."

"Yeah, you are."

The stare at each other until Kagami says, "Kuroko told me about your crush."

"He told you?!" he blurts out without thinking.

"Yeah, we don't keep secrets from each other."

Hinata sighs and sits with his back up against the wall.

"You should just ask him out."

"I can't do that. I'm not brave like you."

Kagami scoffs. "Me, brave? I was terrified to confess to Tetsuya. But, one day after I saw him and his ex-boyfriend Aomine together talking, I realized I didn't want to graduate and have to see them fall in love again and move in together. Even more so, I realized I didn't want to go through high-school with Kuroko not knowing how I felt about him."

"But what if he didn't feel the same way? What if he didn't want to be friends with you? What if it was awkward?" Hinata rapidly fires back.

"That possibility was always there but whatever happens happens. Love is about taking risks. Lemme ask you, is your love for this Kageyama guy weak enough that you'll satisfied with just a platonic friendship that will fade after high school? Is it weak enough that you woudn't mind going his wedding with someone else?" Hinata's eyes widen at the horror of the imaginary future that Kagami created just now. "For me and Kuroko, I couldn't stand the chance that would happen. That's the only reason we are together today."

"That's…not what I wanted to hear."

"But it's what you need to hear."

Kuroko and Kageyama reenter the gym and the conversation is abruptly over. Kagami's face brightens up like a puppy as he goes to greet his boyfriend.

He nuzzles his head in the crook of Kuroko's neck which causes the stoic teen to laugh. The loving way they look at each other lodges a longing feeling in Hinata's chest. He imagines them sharing lunches together and making each other laugh during their graduation ceremony. More than anything he wants those dreams to have the possibility of being true. Even if he has to potentially sacrifice his friendship with him.

"Shou, I'm going to be heading out," Tetsu says with his usual deadpan face back on.

"Taiga, do you really have to leave so soon? I was just learning dribbling!" Nishinoya asks.

"No you weren't. I'm surprised someone so good at volleyball can be so bad at basketball."

Tanaka claps Kagami on the neck. "You're all right Kagami, you're all right."

Daichi and Coach Ukai shake both of their hands.

"Come anytime. It'll be interesting to see how the other side lives."

"We'll stop by next time we're in the area."

"Shouyou," Kuroko says to Hinata "Until, next time."

"Thanks for coming Tetsu."

Kuroko gives him a brief hug. But before they separate he quietly says, "Good luck Shou."

"Huh?"

As he and Kagami are walking out the door hand-in-hand he says, "Text me about it later."

"I wonder what that was about."

His teammates empty out one by one until Hinata is all alone. He's now standing at the gym doors and absently locking them.

"Hey, dummy!" Kageyama barks, startling Hinata and almost causing him to drop the keys.

"What?" he harshly asks.

His face flushes a deep red and he says, "I want to talk to you about something!"

_This is my chance! I need to take Kagami's advice and tell him._

"N-no, not before I talk to _you _about something!" he objects.

"I asked first so I'm going first!"

"This is important!"

"Ugh, I wanted to confess to you but now you leave me wondering why do I have to love an obnoxious guy like you?!"

Hinata doesn't miss a beat and says, "Why do _I_ have to love a tactless brute like you?!"

"Do you think that they confessed to each other?" Kagami wonders out loud with an arm slung over Kuroko's shoulders.

"Developing a soft spot for them I see," he answers while continuing to eat his ice cream.

"N-no, just curious. Besides, I want people to be happy, like us."

"I never knew you were so sappy, Taiga," he teases.

"Don't be rude."

Kuroko's phone which carefully lies on his knee rings. "It must be Shouyou."

"What did he say?" Kagami asks eagerly.

So this is what it feels to have an idiot for a boyfriend.

See you next week.

-Shouyou

Kagami and Kuroko take a moment to read his text message.

"How anticlimactic," Kuroko says simply.


	3. Mihashi and Eijun

"Yuu, get up, it's time to get off," Mihashi softly whispers as he rouses his boyfriend Tajima Yuuichiro from his content sleep on Mihashi's shoulder.

"Whut?" he slurs as he gathers their stuff. Their strewn stuff was difficult to put together and the bus driver glared at them since they were his second to last stop. Eventually, they sort out their stuff and Mihashi exits the bus with a sleepy Tajima in town.

"So, Ren," he yawns "we're going to your friend's boarding school?"

"Yeah," he distractedly answers. Despite the beautiful scenery, presence of his boyfriend, and his navigator status, he isn't paying attention to much.

"So your friend is on the baseball team?"

"Yeah."

"Is he good? What about the team?"

"Yeah."

"I wonder if they'd let me swing a few!"

"Yeah."

Tajima glares at Mihashi out of the corner of his eye and says, "So, I'm thinking about moving to Antarctica!"

"Yeah."

"And my parents said it's okay to get full body tattoos."

"That's nice."

He deviously smirks. "I forgot to mention, there's was a really cute guy I met at the mall the other day-!"

"W-what?!"

"Figures you heard that," he pauses and takes his hand with a serious look on his face. "Ren, are you okay? You've been jumpy since your friend called you last night."

"I'm fine," he responds curtly.

"Tell me," he says softly and gently rests his forehead on Mihashi's "I can't help you unless you talk to me."

He sighs and reluctantly says, "Eijun called me last night, and he sounded very distressed."

"What did he say?"

"He just said to come."

"Ahh, I see, you've been worried about your friend?"

Mihashi gets flustered and looks down, ashamed, at the ground. "Yeah, I am worried about him but..."

"Okay, why don't you start from the beginning?"

He sighs and gives a long nod. "Last night at around eleven Eijun called me. Eijun and I have always been close you see. So we were talking and I was trying to calm him down but then he started begging me to come down and see him. He said that he called Tetsu and asked him to visit but he didn't have enough money to make it all the way there so Tetsu told Eijun to call me instead."

"And?"

"I'm his second choice! He called me _after_ Tetsu!"

"That doesn't mean anything."

"It does! We were supposed to be the closest in the group! Imagine how it must feel for your best friend to not feel like they can rely on you!"

"Maybe Eijun feels that Kuroko's cool, calculating personality makes him feel better. I mean, a blunt commentary on the situation gives people an idea on what exactly their situation there is. Even though I've only met him once or twice, it always seems like he knows what to say and when to be silent. He's probably super charismatic from working with a bunch of eccentric geniuses like the Generation of Miracles and that tall boyfriend of his. Try not to take it too much to heart, okay?"

"I guess you're right…"

Tajima gives him an ear to ear grin and says, "Of course I am!"

They interlink hands and Tajima excitedly swings their hands back and forth in the air while anxiously asking Mihashi about Eijun's baseball team. It's a long walk to the school, but Tajima's energetic conversation makes time fly by. Mihashi almost forgets all his worries and nearly was submersed in his boyfriend cheery nature. One of the things he loves most about Tajima is his ability to easily put him at ease.

"I love you!" Mihashi blurts out.

Tajima's entire face brightens up and he kisses him sloppily on the cheek. "I love you too!" he exclaims as he grins against Mihashi's face. The frosty air stings their skin and the soles of their feet ache, but they are happy.

After they walk a bit more they approach a school that is most likely Eijun's. "That's it?" Tajima asks.

"It says so according to the instructions. I think we have to check in at the-"

"Woah! Ren, look! I see the baseball diamond and training course and it's huge!" Tajima darts off toward the practice in progress.

"Yuuichiro, wait!" He tries to run after him but Tajima, being the ball of energy he is, doesn't give Mihashi the chance to catch up.

"What are you doing here?" a guy that looks like he might be the captain shouts at Tajima. The team is warming up but is startled by the interruption.

"Can I practice with you?" Tajima asks.

Mihashi finally catches up to him and apologizes profusely. "I am so sorry for the rude intrusion! I'm here to see Eijun, Sawamura Eijun. He's my childhood friend and he just called me up last night."

The captain quirks his eyebrows and the other players share his look of shock. "You spoke with him?"

"Yeah, but he didn't say much."

"That's almost a miracle. He hasn't talked to anyone in a week. He's been coming to practice but his negative mood has started to take a toll on everyone else so I told him to sit it out the past couple of days."

"Seriously?!"

He gravely nods.

The thought of his friend being in that state makes his chest hurt. He's always been the cheeriest one out of all of them, even Shouyou, so it hits Mihashi hard.

"Miyuki, show him to Sawamura's room will you?"

A guy, with catcher's gear on and sunglasses steps up and smirks at him. "Nice to meet you, kid. I'll show you to his room."

"Hey, captain! Nice to meet you, I'm Tajima. And you are?"

The just captain glares at him.

"Can I practice with you guys?" Tajima asks, undeterred. Instead of waiting for an answer, Tajima takes off his shirt to reveal the baseball uniform he was wearing under it and started to warm up with the team.

"Boy, I sure am glad you aren't on our team," the captain mutters, rubbing his temples.

* * *

"The name is Miyuki Kazuya," he simply says with a grin. It seems to Mihashi his face is always smiling. That makes him feel a little uneasy as a person that doesn't smile frequently (although since dating his boyfriend his has taken to smiling more often).

"My name is Mihashi Ren. Nice to meet you!" he accidently shouts nervously.

"So, you've talked to him?"

"Briefly, yes."

All of a sudden, his personality does a 180 and he quietly asks, "How is he?" his voice isn't dripping with concern but, from what Mihashi can tell, the catcher doesn't wear his heart on his shoulder.

"I don't really know. Eijun didn't talk much to me. The only person he talked to is Tetsu, our other childhood friend." Mihashi attempts to fight the contempt creeping in his voice but fails. No matter how much he loves Tetsu or how much he tells everyone that he doesn't harbor any ill feelings towards him, he knows he's undeniably resentful towards him. Everyone adores and needs him. They go to him for problems. How many times has something happened in their little group and he was kept out of the loop? Even the friend that he is supposedly closest to prefers him in times of crises.

"We're here," he says curtly. Miyuki gives Mihashi a sidelong look and his grin makes reappearance. "Good luck."

* * *

When he enters the room, it's pitch black except for the dim light of the TV. A silhouette sits in front of the TV.

"Is that you Ren? Close the door please?" Eijun doesn't sound particularly different from normal and he offers no context to Mihashi's requested presence.

As he shuts the door behind him, he sheds his jacket and bag on the floor and approaches him. The TV switches from panel to panel of a poorly animated cartoon. It's on mute so the room is dead quiet.

Mihashi decides to sits cross-legged next to him and preserves the silence. The sit like that for a while, paying attention to the muted TV screen with periphery sounds as the audio. Eijun slowly leans his head on Mihashi's.

"Say, how do you get over someone you were never involved with in the first place?"

He racks his brain for acceptable answers unsuccessfully. "Try to forget them I guess?"

Eijun dryly laughs. "Yeah, you say that. What if Tajima broke up with you today?"

"Don't be a jerk."

Eijun looks surprised and says, "I'm sorry Ren. It's just…I'm sorry."

"What happened?"

"The usual," he sniffles "W-we were talking one day and we were flirting, like usual (or maybe we weren't even flirting to begin with I don't know), and he just starts grinning really big and I ask 'Why are you grinning?' thinking he was teasing me or something but then, he says 'I've found someone I really like!'."

"Then what?" Mihashi encourages lightly.

"I couldn't keep it together. He looked at me with hopeful and happy eyes but I felt sick that I wasn't the one that was causing it. I excused myself and stumbled back to my dorm. I couldn't find the energy to talk to anyone or play baseball or do much of anything besides mope around."

"Oh…Eijun. "

"It's so humiliating! Everyone knows that he's the reason I've been so sad."

No words came to mind. His mind is a blank. It's all he can do to go over to him and hug him. That's all he can do in this situation.

"Your feelings aren't humiliating Eijun," he stutters out. "What's his name again?"

"Miyuki Kazuya." That's the guy that showed him to Eijun's dorm. He spits out his name, but Mihashi can tell he thinks fondly of him.

"It's just," he curls up "I thought we had something."

"W-why don't we take a walk? That always helps me!"

"Yeah okay," he mutters back.

* * *

"Why are we watching Tajima bat against Furuya?" Eijun asks. Just as he said that, Tajima makes contact with the third ball since Mihashi and Eijun have been watching. Mihashi's boyfriend swings with all his might despite swinging at 140 mph fast balls. Everyone on the team looks anxiously on the sidelines.

With the fourth clink, it goes foul. Eijun's eyes widen.

And with the fifth, it goes foul again. Eijun steps closer to the fence.

By the tenth pitch, Furuya is sweating profusely and Tajima still isn't tiring out. The captain looks read to call it quits in fear of Furuya's stamina but even he is too engrossed in the unyielding battle between an unstoppable force and an unmovable object.

Eijun grips the fence anxiously, and even when the foul ball hits the fence he's standing at, he doesn't move an inch. He too, is engrossed in this never ending battle. As the pitches get faster and faster, the longing in Eijun's chest gets stronger and stronger. Not only does he long to be across from Miyuki, but, more importantly, he longs for the mount.

Finally, at the fifteenth pitch, Tajima hits a homerun.

The entire team collectively took a breath and cheered when the ball left the diamond.

"Congrats!" Kuramochi shouts, putting an arm over Tajima's shoulders. All the players coo over Tajima, obviously won over by the clean-up hitter.

"Hey, Ren! Didja see that!?" Tajima yells to Mihashi. He waves proudly and gives him a big smile.

"I want to move forward and let whatever happens happen. I don't want to give up something I love for someone. I love Miyuki, and it's going to be hard, but I love baseball too," Eijun chokes out. He composes himself and jokingly says, "Did you bring me out here to get me fired up?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"You're a real friend," he says, ruffling Mihashi's hair.

"Hey, Sawamura!" Tajima yells "Pitch against me!"

Eijun looks out to the batter's box where the catcher stands, looking sorrowfully at him. Eijun gives a long sigh and says, "Sure, it'll be fun!"

As he steps into the ring, his entire team has a look of relief plastered on their faces.

"Well, it's about time!" Kuramochi says with a light kick.

"Yeah well he was probably just scared of me!" Tajima gloats.

"Yes, you and all four feet of you sure does strike fear into the hearts of men," Eijun teases.

"Ha! I can still wipe the floor with you punk!"

"Yo, Furuya! Gimme the baseball mitt!" Furuya makes eye-contact with Eijun, only to look away as if he doesn't see him.

"Don't ignore me!" Eijun starts chasing Furuya around the diamond in attempt to capture the mitt. Mihashi stands at the sidelines, smiling at his newly invigorated friend. His teammates yell commentary at them and their pink haired friend attempts to break up the impending conflict. The only one that's not participating in this silliness is Miyuki. He stands contently next to Mihashi, with a sad look on his face.

"Thanks for cheering him up," he says simply.

"You know, you can just talk to him," Mihashi nervously says.

Miyuki doesn't acknowledge that and continues to look contemplatively at the sprinting pitcher. After a while, he just sighs and says, "Well, you might as well pitch a couple to our guys eh Mihashi?"

"S-sure!"

* * *

"AHHH! I CAN'T HIT THE STUPID BALL!" Jun screams as Mihashi strikes him out. Besides Tajima and Haruichi, no one made contact with the ball and Jun was the last up.

"Amazing Mihashi! Your control is outstanding!" Miyuki excitedly shouts from the batter's box "We'd make an awesome battery!"

"T-thanks!" he responds back, flustered.

"Hoorah for the Mihashi-Miyuki battery. Yay!" Jun says sarcastically.

"Don't be a jerk just because I struck you out. You two have to go soon right?"

"Yeah, right now in fact," he looks at his watch.

"Well okay then." Miyuki gathers their stuff and hands it to both Tajima and Mihashi ."Come and visit us again kiddos. We'll have to destroy them again."

"Yeah!"

As the team sees them out, Miyuki slings an arm around Mihashi and says, "You give pretty good advice for a first year."

"Thank yo-?"

"Get going, don't want to be late."

* * *

As Mihashi's and Tajima's outlines get swallowed up by the darkening horizon and his teammates disappear into the cafeteria, Eijun lays on his back on the mound, silently drinking a juice box. He knows he has to sort this (whatever this is) out with Miyuki and he knows by avoiding the dorm room, he's prolonging the inevitable.

"Sawamura?" a voice questions from next to him. He doesn't need his quickened heartbeat to tell him the voice belongs to Miyuki. "Why are you laying on the mound?"

"Resting on your back is good for your spine."

"That's…not what I meant," he sighs "How good is it for your back?"

"It works wonders!" he playfully says, gesturing widely at the sky.

Miyuki lies right next to him. "Scoot over."

With Eijun and Miyuki's torsos mere inches from each other, they wistfully stare up at the pitch black sky. The comfort of the heat that radiates from his stupid head makes Eijun want to curl up next to him but he doesn't.

"Sawamura, look," Miyuki softly swats his hand to get his attention "There's the little dipper."

Eijun cranes his head and says, "That's the big dipper you big dope."

"Well, it may be big dipper to you shrimp, but to me, it's the little dipper."

"That doesn't make any sense, it's not like our depth perception or whatever is any different because you're a couple of centimeters taller than me!"

Miyuki guffaws, "I'm much taller than you than a couple of centimeters!"

"No you aren't!"

"Prove it shrimpy."

"I'm 5'9'!"

Miyuki suddenly gives him a serious look. "Don't lie."

"I am not lying!" Eijun can hardly keep the laughter out of his voice. In their argument, they've ended up facing each other and, when the laughter dies down; their breath hitches upon the realization that they were so close.

"Kazuya, we need to talk," he gravely states.

"Eijun…"

"Two weeks ago, when you told me that you liked someone, I didn't know what to think."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize. I know that we've been growing close since we've first met and I didn't know that our feelings we're different."

"I'm sorry, I just can't just feel that way toward you Eijun."

Eijun chokes out a sob and curtly nods. "I know, and I try not to be bitter toward you because you don't have to feel something one way or another."

"Eijun…"

The pitcher puts his hand on his cheek and rests his forehead against the catcher's. "Kazuya, I will support you if you choose to date someone else instead of me."

"That's a weird thing to say," Miyuki says with a confused voice.

"No, because I mean it. Look, just because you don't return my feelings, doesn't mean you can't find happiness with someone else."

"Eijun?"

"I was devastated when I heard you liked someone else and I couldn't bear to show my face to you. Because, I like you! And-"

"Eiiiijunn?"

"Let me finish. It's just, I want for you to like me so badly I got ahead of myself. But I promise we can be just friends."

"Eijun!"

"What!"

Miyuki has a self-satisfied smirk on his face and says, "You know that saying 'I don't think we're on the same page'?"

"Yeah?"

"Well," Miyuki dips in to plant a big smiling kiss on his lips "I don't think we're even in the same library."

He looks at him wide-eyed and stutters out, "B-b-b-b-but what about y-y-your c-crush?"

"Yeah, I think that's where I lost you. When I said I liked someone, I was referring to you. I thought I was hinting at that point well enough but apparently not."

"Then why have you been avoiding me the past week?!"

"Well I thought you wouldn't want to be even my friend after that!"

"So what you're saying is," he concludes weakly "I pouted for a week, had a life changing revelation, and called my childhood friend and his boyfriend down here, for nothing?"

"Apparently."

"We're so stupid."

"Speak for yourself," he smiles deviously "Shrimpy."


End file.
